Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman. HarperTrophy, 1994. 212 pages

Although it sounds deadly--one year in the life of Birdy, the13 year old daughter of a minor knight in 11th century England, as told through her diary entries--it is, instead, brilliant. Birdy is irreverent, manipulative, modern, lively, funny, thoughtful, moody, anxious, headstrong and thoroughly alive--she is Anne of Green Gables, Hermoine Granger, Jo March, Charlotte Doyle-- a strong adolescent female character coming of age and trying to make sense of her world. Birdy, as the daughter of a poor and minor knight, hates lots of things about her life--killing fleas, cleaning rushes, her older brother, endless needle work--and she fights against the social constraints put on women of her era-- sometime actually longing for the imagined greener grass life of the peasantry. In the course of the year she loses her best friend to a less than happy marriage and is herself facing the very real prospect of being married off to the highest bidder--which she decides to fight with every tool in her limited power. The details of daily life are certainly realistic--the actual character of Birdy--i'm not so sure--but that does not diminish the story at all--the character is one many girls (and boys) will identify with and while the ending is a bit convenient (yes, i 'll give you that) it is historic fiction and a great story and one that kids love. This is Karen Cushman doing what she does best.

Bully Buster (Jake Drake). Aladdin Paperbacks (2001) 73 pages.

Jake Drake recounts how he managed to stop being a "bully magnet" and became a "bully buster". A fairly realistic account of the problems kids have dealing with bullies...no solution that we as adults offer seems to work--not telling, not keeping quiet, not being nice, not avoiding them, etc. Kids often feel on their own with this stuff--as Jake does. The bully ends up needing Jake's help when they are partnered together for an assignment and while Jake and the bully never become friends (thank goodness..that's so lame at this age!) Jake is no longer a victim. Not great literature or deep thinking, but i do love Andrew Clements for school age kids and the Jake Drake series is great for the younger chapter readers..advanced 2nd graders, 3rd and some 4th graders. And, of course, bullies loom large in all of our lives.

The Jacket by Andrew Clements. Aladdin (2002), Paperback

A white student, Phil, sees a black student, Daniel, wearing his brother's jacket and assumes the boy has stolen it. Daniel is righteously angry and Phil, in questioning his own actions, begins to see his entire world--including his family--in the context of racism and white privilege. it is not great literature and the story line is a little pat--Phil suddenly sees and understands subtle racism in himself, his family, his society, and in the end, he and daniel become friends. Yes, i agree--clumsy and hoky--BUT, this is a great message--a real, complex message about racism in our society that IS very complex and that occurs right now and that involves otherwise good people. The Jacket is a great book for class discussion and begs to be assigned to a 4th or 5th grade book club. The adults, in general, do not want to talk about the incident that bothers Phil so much, and with the exception of Lucy, Phil's family maid and Daniel's grandmother (a little contrived, i know!) they all fail in their response in some way--the principal, phil's mother, his father...
A wonderful book that will read well for most in the age group--a great book for encouraging a REAL discussion about racism in the age group. Realistic realistic fiction...I love Andrew Clements!

The Savage by David Almond. Candlewick (2008), Hardcover, 80 pages

When Blue's father dies, everything changes for him--the loss is enormous, huge, devastating, and raw. At the same time blue is also forced to deal with a bully---a really meanspirited and viscous boy--who torments him in a really disturbing way. As the child becomes depressed and more introverted, his teacher suggests he write a story to help him deal with his feelings--Blue writes from the pain and creates a savage character (this is the graphic) who may be real or not, who may be Blue, or not....The story Blue creates is intensely personal--for a long time he will not share it with even his mother--and the Savage becomes an embodiment of Blue's feelings--the pain, the frustration, the rage--and desire for revenge--and in the end, becomes the catalyst for Blue to recover..with a little magical realism help!
I really like The Savage-- i found it beautifully written-- slim in volume but deep in emotion. And like all works for young people that deal with the issue of bullying in an authentic manner, the adults in the story--even loving, caring ones, fail to deal with the issue in any direct or effective way---leaving the victim feeling truly on his own. This is a British import filled with british english expressions that i think it is good to expose our kids to. The graphic within a novel format works very well, allowing us to see both sides of Blue--the boy and his psyche---and his healing. Magic and emotion, pain, bullying, fear, shame , anger, revenge, longing--the book has lots to think and talk and teach about. Highly recommended.

The stories of devil-girl by Anya Achtenberg. Ann Arbor, MI : Modern History Press, 2008. 103 pages

There is so much to say about this slim novella, but i have trouble finding the words. Devil-Girl grows up in a cold, disfunctional home, neglected by a physically and emotionally abusive mother. Brief descriptions of her father drift in and out of the work, and i get the impression that he abandons devil girl and the rest of the family. A loveless, unhappy home---devil girl is repeatedly told --and comes to believe--she is worthless of any thing good and worthy of all the abuse she gets--almost seeking it as a young adult. She moves or is thrown out of hte house, then becomes homeless, a drunk, drug addict, petty criminal, prostitute whore, eventually marrying an abusive man. Similar in many ways to Sapphire's PUSH, Devil-Girl eventually finds community, friendship, purpose and self worth in education, at a school in Boston and later in Minnesota. She is saved, redeemed, renewed. In fact, my only complaint about the work is that Achtenberg does not tell us more about the road to recovery...does not go into more detail and carry us along on the recovery route...That will be the next Devil-Girl novella, perhaps?? Beautifully written --lyrical, musical language that moves --rich in imagery ..."Fatherless, I roam. Dead-tongued kisses lodged in my throat." Achtenberg correctly states that this work sounds like poetry and reads like prose--part diary, part memoir, part storytelling, The Stories of Devi-Girl is beautifully written but difficult to read. It is not for everyone-to be sure, but i really liked it and enjoyed reading some parts aloud-- Anya Achtenberg is a very strong writer.

Mick: Blue-eyed son #1 by Chris Lynch. HarperCollins, 1996, 146 pages

This is the first in a series of books about a young white working class teenager from an alcoholic, racist family in an Irish American neighborhood in Boston filled with parochialism and thuggery. Mick wants more. When he rejects racism, he also rejects his family as well as the parochial, lumpen neighborhood he has lived in his entire life; so his family and neighbors come after him physically and at one point, almost kill him. The racist reputation of his neighborhood follows him to school where he is always in danger of physical attack from groups of Asians and Latinos. He falls in love with a Latina named Evelyn, who hates his guts and he develops a new friendship, his first since kindergarten, with Toy, a mysterious loner who, while definitely not white, is race is unknown. This first book ends with Mick on the ground, bloody and beat up, denying he is “one of them” to the object of his affection, Evelyn. She slams the door and leaves him on the sidewalk; clearly a set up for the sequel.
Mick has lots of appeal for local youth, especially white working class youth. The voice and scenarios are totally authentic and come directly from white working class culture in Boston neighborhoods, especially from South Boston and Dorchester. “Why don’t you just go an have your own pissy little yellow faggot-ass parades and leave us alone” (p.30). and “—he’s always sayin’ something when he’s slapping me, y’know, so it takes forever; I hate that (p.130). I speak with authority because I’ve lived here my whole life. In addition, the story incorporates lots of real events, (names changed to protect the innocent??) such as the influx of Vietnamese families into the neighborhoods and the attempts by gay groups to march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. It has real local flavor, so much so that I wonder how popular they are outside the area. I really liked it.

Rainbow Party by Paul Ruditis. Simon Pulse, 2005, 256 pages.

Okay, it is clearly not the best writing in the world but I think the story is useful and the issue important. A teen who sleeps around, Gin, decides to throw a Rainbow Party, where girls wear different colored lipstick and then perform oral sex on all the boys; theoretically the boys should have rainbows on their penises. Gin is carefully choosing the guest list because she believes oral sex is not real sex (“it’s only oral”) and that doing it gives her power. She is hoping to advance socially at school and the entire story takes place in the hours before the party is to begin. Like, Gin, the other girls agree to it for different reasons; to keep a boyfriend interested, to learn how to do it, to finally hook up with a crush. (The reasons the boys want to go are not quite so varied). There is a lot of sex in the book, including 2 male “friends with benefits” (benefits for one, anyway), Hunter and Perry. Their uneven relationship mirrors the uneven male/female dynamic inherent in the Rainbow Party concept. The invitees struggle with themselves in the hours before the party and in the end no one shows up.
I like the book because the topic is so important and I think it will get teenage girls talking. The characters ask the kind of questions that teens must have such as “Isn’t it one sided” and “What do I get out of it”. Many of the concerns of the characters are teen concerns… I want to be popular, I want to be good in bed, I want to keep my boyfriend interested. I do not know if Rainbow parties are real, but I do know they are legend. And the attitudes about oral sex expressed in the book are definitely real for some teens. It is especially well suited for high school girl’s groups for discussion.